Phoenix puts Opera web browser into BIOS

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Leigh Stark07 November 2008, 4:35 PM

Soon, motherboards in all sorts of computers will allow you to browse the web without booting your OS at all.


Boot time may not be a problem for the small proportion of people who use a Mac or Linux and are used to rapid cold boot and near-instant PC resume, but for the rest of the world that uses Windows, its sluggish startup and unreliable resume is a real problem.

Computer makers are wising up to this problem and marketing their hardware with special features for fast startup. The only problem is there's no much they can do to fix Microsoft's bad coding of Windows, so they've been building Linux OS variants into their boot routines so you can get access to key apps quickly without waiting for Windows to load.

Asus was one of the first component manufacturers to put their ExpressGate micro-operating system directly into the motherboard enabling users to log into the web with Firefox or make a call on Skype about as fast as their computer could power-on the components.

Now, more motherboards will be get similar capabilities: Phoenix Technologies, one of the big companies in BIOS/boot-time technology is introducing an idea which has the potential to make a platform like Windows become less important for something as simple as surfing the web.

Phoenix Technologies is makes the core systems technology that you see when your computer beeps at you after you've turned it on. They've just announced a platform called "HyperSpace", which pre-loads a virtual computing environment before anything else happens. <>HyperSpace will let people use instant-on applications and could be anything from surfing the web to file managing utilities.

Interesting, the Opera web browser will be the browser used for the HyperSpace platform. Although Opera's market share is quite small, it's admired within the industry for its compact codebase and the fact that it has been ported to more platforms & devices than any other web browser out there.

This 'BIOS-based' incarnation of Opera is more optimised for power & memory without needing an operating system to be there.

Basically, Phoenix's HyperSpace-powered Opera runs a web browser the way a web browser was meant to be run without any messy resource issues an operating system might present.

It gets better, though, as Opera also includes a feature called "Opera Link", something that allows various installations of Opera to sync from one operating system and one gadget to the next. So your bookmarks can easily follow you from computer to computer running Opera -- including ones running out of a Phoenix BIOS.

Phoenix's HyperSpace is more than just a fast-running Opera browser, however. While Asus' ExpressGate isn't likely to be opened up by anyone outside of Asus for development, Phoenix's HyperSpace should allow for software creators to come up with interesting & useful ways to run self-contained applications at their convenience.

Could this be the end of a dependence on Windows? Probably not... but it is a start.


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Me In Oz (Regular user):

" ..... Could this be the end of a dependence on Windows? Probably not... but it is a start. " - APC

Hee hee ..... I love the way APC adds these little taunts (ala the Killer tags) in to start a MS food fight on these forums :)

BTW: I think it's a great idea, but did they have to choose Opera ? .. Eeew ! Maxthon would have been my choice.

07 November 2008, 6:23 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting Me In Oz:
I love the way APC adds these little taunts (ala the Killer tags) in to start a MS food fight

We can see how the tag "Killer" might have unnecessary consequences for the hard core gamer but just think of England or English Cricketers and we are sure the swelling will soon come down.


07 November 2008, 6:45 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Regular user):

Quoting Me In Oz:
but did they have to choose Opera ? .. Eeew ! Maxthon would have been my choice.


And you're going to port it for them (after doing the appropriate NDA hoop jumping too, of course)? Currently only available for Windows, and it's closed source (and has their own license agreement).

10 November 2008, 12:54 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

SLi (Frequent poster):

"...for the rest of the world that uses Windows, its sluggish startup and unreliable resume is a real problem. " - APC

Do you have evidence of this, or are you just making things up? Windows is not sluggish in startup and it is not unreliable in resuming, UNLESS you put rubbish on your computer. If you are unfamiliar with the Windows OS, or are undisciplined in your web browsing then sure, i can imagine this being an issue for you... but dont put that on Microsoft. You can NOT say that most people experience issues with "sluggish startup" and "unreliable resumes" this is simply not a true statement. It's fine to write articles about this topic, but don't turn a mole hill into a mountain, don't exaggerate the details...


07 November 2008, 10:03 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting SLi:
Do you have evidence of this

I think you'll find APC can back up what's written with actual lab tests, can you offer this in your attempts to refute the authors statement?

Quoting SLi:
or are you just making things up?

no they are not.

Quoting SLi:
Windows is not sluggish in startup

It's not? That will be news to many with average times extending into minutes.


Quoting SLi:
and it is not unreliable in resuming,

No not after giving up and restarting after the resume again fails to re-establish the lost network connection.

Quoting SLi:
UNLESS you put rubbish on your computer.

What like MS office? And a well know and accepted graphic program?


Quoting SLi:
or are undisciplined in your web browsing

So with windows you can only browse some place? Thar's kind of restrictive don't you think?

Quoting SLi:
If you are unfamiliar with the Windows OS

I've operated and written code for every windows version since 2.0, and have read almost every APC printed I think I can vouch for them being very familiar with windows.


Quoting SLi:
i can imagine this being an issue for you.

An issue for anyone running windows, other than those with way too much time on their hands or a misguided sense of denial.


Quoting SLi:
but dont put that on Microsoft

So it's nasty desk goblin that sneak in and slow windows and not MS at all? And that's why Windows performance in these areas falls behind that of competitors?


Quoting SLi:
You can NOT say that most people experience issues with "sluggish startup" and "unreliable resumes"

They can and they can be accurate in doing so.


Quoting SLi:
this is simply not a true statement.

I think you will find it is!


Quoting SLi:
It's fine to write articles about this topic

Hang on you just said it was untrue and did not occur, how could you condone writing from a point of view you firmly believe to be untrue?


Quoting SLi:
but don't turn a mole hill into a mountain

I suggest your limited usage has saved you from the true extents of this issue which has prevailed and worsened with successive windows versions.


Quoting SLi:
don't exaggerate the details.

Don't dismiss, or deride well presented material or consider your very limited experience to be representative for others. If you consider Windows resume to be reliable then you have moderate expectation and are very forgiving or otherwise it's probably time for a good lie down.


08 November 2008, 9:57 AM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Regular user):

Quoting SLi:
Windows is not sluggish in startup and it is not unreliable in resuming, UNLESS you put rubbish on your computer.


You want to come and tell that to some of my boxes? A fresh install (from a MS disk, not an OEM one) did 5 minute boot times on my current box. Not every boot, but often enough to be very annoying. And that's not counting BIOS time or logon times.

10 November 2008, 1:03 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

dwr50 (User):

Too bad they chose Opera... I won't give up my Adblock+ that I have/use in Firefox. Also, once it's hacked/cracked it will be a security risk.

08 November 2008, 3:16 AM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

JanK (New user):

There is a content blocker in Opera too, as a base feature not just as a extension. Try it :)

08 November 2008, 8:00 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

epaalx (User):

> but for the rest of the world that uses Windows, its sluggish startup and unreliable resume is a real problem.

WTF?. I've been using Windows (2K, XP, Vista) for last 8 years. I've NEVER had a unreliable resume.
APC, do you think your copy-cat policy of adding more wood into the Windows/MS buring fire is gonna give you any more cred? I think not. Just proves lack of unbiased reporting.

APC editor: Guys we need headlines to bring in the traffic.
APC contributors: Umm, "Windows is crap".
APC editor: Good enough.

10 November 2008, 3:23 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Raindog (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting epaalx:
WTF?. I've been using Windows (2K, XP, Vista) for last 8 years. I've NEVER had a unreliable resume.

Hey your nose just grew an inch!


Quoting epaalx:
do you think your copy-cat policy of adding more wood into the Windows/MS buring fire is gonna give you any more cred?

Do you think your random refuting of a commonly reported problem in anyway diminishes these credible observations?

Windows fanboy: Hey they cant say that about the OS I paid lots of bucks for.
Windows Fanboy: I know I claim it just doesn't happen and protect the honour of fanboyism forever.
Windows Fanboy: Windows never ever has problems with resume, hey why is my nose longer?



10 November 2008, 3:40 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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